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Friday, March 27, 2009

Our Intercessor


Today we decided to introduce you to someone really special and dear to our Church. Her name is Mihaela Serban.

There are many things that describe Mihaela, such as her constant smile, a good attitude that anyone could envy, but more than anything Mihaela is synonym with prayer in our Church. She is the person that intercedes for our Church's needs, constantly. Even though she thinks she's doing the most simple thing on earth, all of us benefit from her steadfastness in prayer. We would like you to know, about Mihaela, that the way she does things in the most humble way, is an example for all of us. We post this entry as an appreciation for a soul that sits in a secret place and from there, where no one can see her, she's lifting up prayers for an entire Church, for all of the Body of Christ, and for the entire country.

We asked Mihaela to write down a few words about the way she sees God using her.

Here's what she wrote:


Ever since I can remember i loved people, I wanted to listen to them, to try and understand them, to know their problems and try to help them in any way I could, even if it was just an encouragement. My friends use to come to me and tell me their troubles and they were opening up to me. I had a desire to help the lonely ones, the ones that were suffering or felt rejected, but I didn't know how.

After i came to know Christ, I found out there was a way to help them: BY PRAYING!!

Later I understood that God placed within me the gift of mercy and compassion. I always had and still have a strong patriotic spirit. I love all Romanians, no matter what nationality. I am proud to be Romanian and it really hurts me when people speak disrespectfully of Romanians and Romania.

When I asked God what was His will for me, He showed me the verse 13 of Psalm 51: "[Then] will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee. "

I thought that I am not the right person, that I am so small compared to such a great call. But still, God placed on my heart the need to pray for my Pastor, for the leaders, for my "small family" (husband, parents, kids) and my "big family" Romania! - Mihaela Șerban –”


We thank God for Mihaela and if there is something that we can wish to the other Churches, is that they should have someone like Mihaela.

May God bless you all!

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Our Church had a great surprise on Sunday morning. We were visited by a good friend of our Church, Reini Haimann.
Reini was a missionary in Romania for more than 10 years, and then moved back to Switzerland, but he does come to visit every time he has a chance. Pastor Rares saw an opportunity and asked him to share something with us and even though it was more like a sermon, but we were really built up by his message.
Reini read from Ezekiel 47:1-12
The man brought me back to the entrance of the temple, and I saw water coming out from under the threshold of the temple toward the east (for the temple faced east). The water was coming down from under the south side of the temple, south of the altar. the water there becomes fresh. He then brought me out through the north gate and led me around the outside to the outer gate facing east, and the water was flowing from the south side. As the man went eastward with a measuring line in his hand, he measured off a thousand cubits and then led me through water that was ankle-deep. He measured off another thousand cubits and led me through water that was knee-deep. He measured off another thousand and led me through water that was up to the waist. He measured off another thousand, but now it was a river that I could not cross, because the water had risen and was deep enough to swim in--a river that no one could cross. He asked me, "Son of man, do you see this?" Then he led me back to the bank of the river. When I arrived there, I saw a great number of trees on each side of the river. He said to me, "This water flows toward the eastern region and goes down into the Arabah, where it enters the Sea. When it empties into the Sea, Swarms of living creatures will live wherever the river flows. There will be large numbers of fish, because this water flows there and makes the salt water fresh; so where the river flows everything will live. Fishermen will stand along the shore; from En Gedi to En Eglaim there will be places for spreading nets. The fish will be of many kinds--like the fish of the Great Sea. But the swamps and marshes will not become fresh; they will be left for salt. Fruit trees of all kinds will grow on both banks of the river. Their leaves will not wither, nor will their fruit fail. Every month they will bear, because the water from the sanctuary flows to them. Their fruit will serve for food and their leaves for healing.

1 Corinthians 6:19
"Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own"
Due to the fact that we are the temple of The Holy Spirit, there is the River of the Spirit flowing through us, the same River that Ezekiel saw.
Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him." John 7:38

It's up to each us , how much of this River flows through our lives. The more you lose control, the more God is in control. The more you step further in His presence, the more you find yourself deeper in Him and in His will for your life. This River is meant to bring life wherever it flows.
Fishermen will stand along the shore of this River and they will catch much fish. Jesus called us to be fishermen of men.
The trees that will be on the sides of this River will bring forth fruit, every month, and this fruit will serve for food and it's leafs for healing.
We know from Galatians 5:22, what is the fruit of the Spirit of God. If we bring forth the fruit of the Spirit, this fruit will feed the hungry and heal the sick, because these fruits are not for ourselves, but for others. How do we bring fruit? If we remain in Jesus. John 15:5 says "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing."

Let us remain in Him so that we might bring forth fruit for His glory. Amen.

Tuesday, March 17, 2009


Sunday morning we had a guest from Texas, USA. Brother Willey Perry, spoke about the price that Jesus paid for us and about the benefits of the Church, due to Christ's Sacrifice. We were reminded that we were bought at a price and therefore we must live holy lives for God.
1 Corinthians 6:20
you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.

So if we no longer belong to ourselves, we don't owe anything to our flesh, so we don't have to obey it's requests. There was a price paid so that we might have free entrance to the Father and so that we might be holy.
There was a price paid so that we might have healing in our bodies today:
Isaiah 53:5 "But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed."
1 Peter 2:24 "He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed."

There was a price paid so that we might have a sane mind. Brother Perry gave a wonderful explanation for this. He said that all of a Christian's battles are in his mind. That's where the thoughts come and later become actions. Jesus paid by wearing a crown on His head, by bleeding from His head, He paid for me to have a sane mind.

There was a price paid for me to walk right with God. In order for my feet to walk in righteousness, Jesus feet were nailed to the cross.


There was a price paid for His Church to be born. Brother Perry made an awesome comparing between the first Adam, that was caused to sleep so that Eve was made from His side. Just like that the second Adam, was pierced, and bled from His side, so that a Bride could be made for Him. Just like the first Adam, that woke up after his sleep, the second Adam was raised to Life, and by His Life, He gave Life to all those that believed in Him.

In ending, brother Perry said that we have to live holy lives because we were bought with a price.

May God help us all live like servants of righteousness not slaves to sin.



Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Life in The Spirit

(Psalm 51:11) „Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me.“

(Acts 2:17) „In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams.

(Numbers 14:24) „But because my servant Caleb has a different spirit and follows me wholeheartedly, I will bring him into the land he went to, and his descendants will inherit it.“

On your way to Canaan, are you led by the Holy Spirit, or everything you see are the giants in the land? Do you let the Holy Spirit to give you enthusiasm, or you guide yourself after what your natural eyes see?
How does one depend on the Spirit of God? First of all, you must trust Him, even when you are in the wilderness. When you don't see anything, when you can't feel anything, depend on Him. Learn how to draw life from Him.

- Life in The Spirit, means balance, steadfastness and continuity.

“Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort?" (Galatians 3:3)

- Life in The Spirit means, that you do not base your decisions on your emotions, nor on what you feel, but you base your decisions on God's power. ”…'Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,' says the Lord Almighty. –“ (Zachariah 4:6)

- To be driven by the Spirit, means to life a spiritual life, spiritual maturity, it means that you live filled with Life.
You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.” (Romans 8:9)
“ Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation-but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it. For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live' (Romans 8:12,13)

- Life in the Spirit means freshness from God, having something fresh and good in your life every day (the manna that God gives is fresh every day an you will not have to live with old dead things in your life).
The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life.“ (John 6:63)

- To live in the Spirit means that circumstances don't dictate the way I live my life, what I see in the natural, doesn't dictate my life, but what is from the Spirit of God, dictates my life. „“Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.(Galatians 5:25)

- When you are led by the Spirit you have a goal for your life, you know where you have to go and what you must do, you understand God's will for your life and you don't listen to the lies of the devil. „But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.“ (John 16:13)

- When you are led by the Spirit you find water even in the desert. ”But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness." (Romans 8:10)

- When you are led by the Spirit, you overcome temptations. „…In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. (Romans 8:26)

- Life in the Spirit means a life that allows you to find rest even in the midst of battle or troubles.
like cattle that go down to the plain, they were given rest by the Spirit of the Lord. This is how you guided your people to make for yourself a glorious name. “ (Isaiah 63:14)
Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.
(2 Corinthians 3:17)

- Life in the Spirit focuses all your attention on Christ, not on the devil and on what he might do to you, because living in the Spirit offers you spiritual protection.
…When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard against him. “ (Isaiah 59:19)

- When you are led by the Spirit, you get to truly experiment 'the joy of salvation' and you are refreshed. „The spirit of a man will sustain his infirmity; but a wounded spirit who can bear? (Proverbs 18:14)
For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.“ (Romans 14:17)

- When you allow the Spirit to lead you, you are like clay and in the potter's hands and God, through the Holy Spirit, molds you in a shape that He can use. „But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, [even] as by the Spirit of the Lord.“ (2 Corinthians 3:18)

- Life in the Spirit means a life without fear of future, it means hope and trust. „But when they shall lead [you], and deliver you up, take no thought beforehand what ye shall speak, neither do ye premeditate: but whatsoever shall be given you in that hour, that speak ye: for it is not ye that speak, but the Holy Ghost.“ (Mark 13:11)


(Job 32:8) „But [there is] a spirit in man: and the inspiration of the Almighty gives them understanding.

(Isaiah 30:1) „Woe to the rebellious children, saith the LORD, that take counsel, but not of me; and that cover with a covering, but not of my spirit, that they may add sin to sin

(Matthew 26:41)”Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed [is] willing, but the flesh [is] weak.

(Acts 20:23) „Save that the Holy Ghost witnesses in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions abide me.

(John 14:17) „[Even] the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it sees him not, neither knows him: but ye know him; for he dwells with you, and shall be in you.


Pastor Rareș Călugăr